It’s one of the most exclusive automakers in the world, but it’s curious to discover how even the big guys sometimes need the help of old software components or old equipment.
For years, McLaren relied on Compaq LTE 5280 laptops, a model from the early 1990s that contained a key component for powering these supercars. But today they found an alternative You still have these teams next door … just in case.
Luxury cars that needed laptops almost three decades ago
In 2016 Jalopnik already told the unique story of this McLaren F1, which is a real gem. 64 of these supercars were built between 1992 and 1998and one of the models sold (used!) last year was estimated to have been requested for 9 million euros, with another model recently auctioned for almost double: 17.8 million euros.
These amazing cars had a unique reliance on a ’90s laptop. McLaren started using the CompaQ LTE 5280 When these supercars began manufacturing in the early 1990s, these teams’ MS-DOS software and hardware were configured to be perfectly prepared to connect to the vehicle’s ECU and perform certain diagnostics and data transfers.
These laptops had a CA slot (Conditional Access) that allows you to connect the laptop to the car and use the software specially designed for this hardware. The problem? That there is a need to keep servicing these supercars, and nearly three decades later, those laptops have all but disappeared.
That meant McLaren spent thousands of dollars buying every Compaq LTE 5280 laptop from the early 1990s over the years. Computer with barely 20 MB hard drive and they were used with MS-DOS, but they were very valuable to that manufacturer.
Dependence on this computer began to be a clear problem for McLaren years ago, and as early as 2016, when the manufacturer’s strange situation was discovered, its managers admitted it They were looking for an alternative for those old laptops.
They found it a little later and, in a Road & Track report from late 2017, told the story of the only McLaren F1 technician in the US. There they stated how “McLaren currently uses a modern computer with Windows that Run a software emulator for routine computer maintenance. ”
Yes indeed: The old Compaq 5280 is still next door from the Windows laptop … just in case. However, we do not know whether it will bring much good today. Intel announced in November 2019 that it was dropping the drivers and BIOS for its old motherboards – like the one used in Compaq devices. This means that without these types of updates, those old computers could become unusable, especially if there is a security issue or a hardware conflict.
Serial interfaces and old ThinkPads
The McLaren case is certainly not the only one. In the recent Reddit debate on the matter A Jaguar specialist technician He related a similar anecdote he saw while converting another strange sports car.
In fact, it showed some Screenshots of the MS-DOS software You’re using an old ThinkPad to fix a Jaguar XJ220, another exclusive car that’s being fixed with devices and applications from years ago, despite its price.
The technician explained how to connect to the switchboard This was done via the serial interface from that old ThinkPad, a connector type that was no longer standard on PCs and laptops years ago, but which was vital to the maintenance of this car because of the software developed for that process.
The mechanic explained how he tried to do this task using virtualization on a modern computer and emulation with a serial port, but he failed: that forced them to keep using this machinewhich shows (again) that sometimes old technology is still critical to keeping things going.
The post When the $ 10 million McLarens needed a ’90s laptop to run – Explica .co first appeared on monter-une-startup.
